Attachable Sealing Device for Snack Bags and Method of Use Thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a novel sealing device for food bags and other types of snack bags. The device is attached using adhesive backing to attach to a bag and is designed to seal an opening of the bag to protect items such as food items from becoming stale and spilled. The device features adhesive backing on inner surfaces of a top layer and a bottom layer, the layers have a common side edge and include a zippered lock on a top edge thereof. In use, the adhesive backing of the bottom layer and the top layer is positioned on opposite sides of the bag to adhere to the bag and the zippered lock is closed to create a sealed enclosure to cover the opening of the bag. The zipper is opened to access food items and functions as an integrated zippered lock for the bag.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/322,254, which was filed on Mar. 22,2022, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of snack bags. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a novel, independent, andattachable seal for food bags and other types of bag containers. Thedevice has an adhesive layer to adhere to a bag and a zippered lock toseal opening of the bag. The zipper lock can be closed to prevent airfrom entering the bag opening and preventing food items from becomingstale. The seal device covers the opening of a food or snack bag and isreleasably attached to the bag. Accordingly, the present disclosuremakes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciatedthat aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable toother like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

By way of background, chips, pretzels, and other similar ready-to-eatsnacks and food items come in snack bags. Snack bags come in differentshapes and sizes and it is often the case where individuals do notfinish eating through the entire snack bag and thus a quantity of thesnacks is left in the snack bag. Once a snack bag is opened, it isdifficult to re-seal the bag to prevent the remaining items stored inthe snack bag from becoming stale due to air entering inside the openedbag. Further, most snack bags do not have an integrated zippered lock orother fastening means, as a result, the snack bags are left open and thesnacks quickly become stale. Such snack bags having leftover snacks areoften accidentally knocked over by individuals that may spill the fooditems over the floor. Also, carrying such open snack bags is a problemas the food items may spill in pockets of clothing, lunch boxes, and inhandbags in which the snack bag is stored.

Many individuals either tie a knot at the open end of a snack bag toprotect the remaining food items and others may throw the remainingstale food items in the trash. Tying a knot or using a rubber band isineffective and is cumbersome. Throwing away snacks and food items isexpensive and also does not send a positive signal to other individuals.Individuals desire a way for firmly sealing the open food/snack bagsthat do not have integrated sealing mechanism such as a zippered lock.

In some situations, integrated zippered seals of snack bags and foodbags become damaged which leads to food items becoming stale.Individuals desire a device that can be releasably attached to seal suchbags for protecting stored food items therein.

Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an attachablesnack bag sealing device that effectively and easily seals any type ofsnack bag. There is also a long-felt need in the art for an attachableseal device that securely closes an opening of an opened snack bag.Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a snack bagsealing device that prevents air from entering inside a used snack bag.Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for an attachable sealingdevice to keep food items fresh within a bag and prevents spills.Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a snack bag attachablezippered lock device that enables individuals to save chips, pretzels,and other snacks for later consumption without enabling them to becomestale. Furthermore, there is a long-felt need in the art for anattachable zippered lock that functions like an integrated zipper lockfor snack bags. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for anattachable sealing device that offers a way to firmly close and sealopen food bags that do not have an integrated seal or have a damagedintegrated seal.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises an attachable food bag sealing device for sealing asnack bag not having an integrated zippered lock or other sealingfastener. The device features a top layer and a bottom layer having acommon side edge, the top edges of both the top layer and the bottomlayer include a zippered lock, an inner surface of the top layer has acontinuous adhesive backing along a bottom edge and an adjacent sideedge thereof, inner surface of the bottom layer has a continuousadhesive backing along the bottom edge and the adjacent side edgethereof, wherein the adhesive backing of the bottom layer is adhered onthe bottom surface of the snack bag and the adhesive backing of the toplayer is adhered on the top surface of the snack bag to create a sealedenclosure covering the bag opening for protecting food items frombecoming stale. The zippered lock is closed to protect the food itemsstored in the food bag from becoming stale.

In this manner, the attachable snack bag sealing device of the presentinvention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provide userswith an attachable, zipper lock bag seal for any type of food/snack bag.The seal device is easily attached to close the opening of a snack bagand prevents air from entering therein. The device prevents food itemsfrom becoming stale and knocked over by effectively closing the openingof the bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summaryis not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its solepurpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises a device for sealing a snack bag for preventingremaining food items stored in the snack bag from becoming stale. Thedevice is configured to firmly close an open snack bag and furthercomprising a top layer and a bottom layer having a common side edge, thetop edges of both the top layer and the bottom layer include zipperteeth designed to interlock with each other, an inner surface of the toplayer has a continuous adhesive backing along a bottom edge and anotherside edge thereof, inner surface of the bottom layer has a continuousadhesive backing along the bottom edge and the another side edgethereof, wherein in use for sealing the snack bag opening, the adhesivebacking of the bottom layer is adhered on the bottom surface of thesnack bag and the adhesive backing of the top layer is adhered on thetop surface of the snack bag to create a sealed enclosure covering thebag opening for prohibiting food items from becoming stale. The adhesivebacking of the layers along the side edges are fastened together suchthat the bag is positioned between the common side edge and the otherside edges of the layers.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises an independent, attachable seal device for food bagsand other types of bag containers. The device is designed to cover anopening of the bag and includes adhesive backing on a top layer and abottom layer wherein the adhesive backings are applied on the bag toadhere to the bag, a zippered lock is positioned on the top edges of thetop layer and the bottom layer wherein the zippered lock is locked toseal the opening of the bag and is opened to access food items stored inthe bag. The seal device keeps food items fresh within the bag andprevents spills from the bag.

In yet another embodiment, the top layer has a logo or indicia printedor embossed thereon.

In yet another embodiment, the adhesive backings of the top layer andthe bottom layer are protected by a peelable protecting layer forrevealing the adhesive backing.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of sealing anopening of a bag not having integrated zippered lock or other fastener.The method includes the steps of providing a sealing device, the sealingdevice has a top layer and a bottom layer with a common side edge,adhesive backing disposed on inner surfaces of both top layer and thebottom layer, a zipper lock on top edges of the top layer and the bottomlayer; peeling away adhesive protecting layer, or protecting adhesivebacking, of the inner surface of the bottom layer to reveal the adhesivebacking, positioning the lower layer on the bottom surface of a bag,pressing the adhesive backing to adhere to the bag, peeling away theadhesive protecting layer of the inner surface of the top layer toreveal the adhesive layer, extending the top layer across the opening ofthe bag, attaching the adhesive layer of the top layer to the bag,finally, closing the zippered lock of the device by sliding the zipperedtab of the device to protect the food items of the bag.

Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparentto those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading andunderstanding of the following detailed specification.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein inconnection with the following description and the annexed drawings.These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and areintended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Otheradvantages and novel features will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to provided drawings in which similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of asnack bag attachable sealing device of the present invention inaccordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the snack bag sealing device ofthe present invention in an uninstalled or unfolded position revealingthe adhesive backing in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing how the sealing device ispositioned on a snack bag for protecting food items from becoming stalein accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the snack bag equipped with theattachable zippered lock of the present invention in accordance with thedisclosed architecture; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram depicting a process of applying andusing the zippered-lock device of the present invention in accordancewith the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovationcan be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments arediscussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are describedonly to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are notintended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limitthe scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment neednot have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in otherembodiments, any of the features described herein from differentembodiments may be combined.

As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for anattachable snack bag sealing device that effectively and easily sealsany type of snack bag. There is also a long-felt need in the art for anattachable seal device that securely closes an opening of an openedsnack bag. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for asnack bag sealing device that prevents air from entering inside a usedsnack bag. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for anattachable sealing device to keep food items fresh within a bag andprevents spills. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for asnack bag attachable zippered lock device that enables individuals tosave chips, pretzels, and other snacks for later consumption withoutenabling them to become stale. Furthermore, there is a long-felt need inthe art for an attachable zippered lock that functions like anintegrated zipper lock for snack bags. Finally, there is a long-feltneed in the art for an attachable sealing device that offers a way tofirmly close and seal open food bags that do not have an integrated sealor have a damaged integrated seal.

The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is an independent,attachable sealing device for food bags, snack bags, and other types ofbag containers. The device is designed to cover an opening of the bagand has adhesive backing on a top layer and a bottom layer wherein theadhesive backings are applied on the bag to adhere to the bag, azippered lock is positioned on the top edges of the top layer and thebottom layer wherein the zippered lock is locked to seal the opening ofthe bag and is opened to access food items stored in the bag. Thesealing device keeps food items fresh within the bag and prevents spillsfrom the bag.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspectiveview of one potential embodiment of a snack bag attachable sealingdevice of the present invention in accordance with the disclosedarchitecture. The attachable sealing device 100 of the present inventionis designed as an independent, attachable seal for food bags, snackbags, and other types of bag containers to firmly close or seal openfood bags that do not have an integrated seal. More specifically, thedevice 100 is generally rectangular (i.e., rectilinear) to overlap anopening of a snack or food bag as shown in FIG. 3 to seal the opening.The device 100 has a top layer 102 and a bottom layer 104 sewn orconnected together along a common side edge 106. The top layer 102 andthe bottom layer 104 are of substantially the same size and thicknessand adhere to the top surface and bottom surface of a snack bag whenused for sealing the opening of the snack bag.

The layers 102, 104 are releasably attached along the bottom edges 108,110 and second side edges 112, 114 respectively thereof using anadhesive layer as shown in FIG. 2 . For using the device 100 to seal abag, an adhesive protecting layer 210 is peeled off to releasably attachthe layers 102, 104. The top edge 116 of the top layer 102 and the topedge 118 of the bottom layer 104 have a zipper fastener 120 along thelength thereof for providing a seal similar to a conventional zipperedlock of snack bags.

The device 100 forms a sealed enclosure when the layers 102, 104 arelocked using the zipper 120 and the bottom edges and the side edges arefastened using the adhesive. The top layer 102 may have a logo or anyother indicia 124 printed thereon for marketing and branding purposes.For locking the zipper 120, a sliding zipper tab 122 is attached to thezipper 120 and the tab 122 is designed to slide along the edges 116, 118to lock the zipper 120 and seal the device 100 and the enclosed openingof a snack bag.

The logo 124 may comprise any insignia, badge, emblem, decoration,alphanumeric symbol, or artistic rendition that will adhere, eitherpermanently or removably, to the device 100. By way of example, and notlimitation, the logos of the invention may include embroidered patches,stickers, transfers, paintings, and drawings.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the snack bag sealing device ofthe present invention in an uninstalled or unfolded position revealingthe adhesive backing in accordance with the disclosed architecture. Theinner surface 202 of the top layer 102 has a continuous adhesive layer204 along the bottom edge 108 and side edge 112 which is protected by apeel off protecting layer (i.e., similar to protecting layer 210), notillustrated. The inner surface 206 of the bottom layer 104 has acorresponding continuous adhesive layer 208 along the bottom edge 110and the side edge 114 such that the adhesive layers 204, 208 areoverlapping and configured to adhere to opposite sides of a snack bag tocreate a sealed enclosure between the layers 102, 104. The adhesivelayer 208 is protected by the protecting layer 210 and the protectinglayer 210 can be peeled away to reveal the adhesive layer 208.

In use, the adhesive layers are revealed by removing the adhesiveprotecting layers, the bottom layer 104 is positioned under a snack bagand the top layer 102 is positioned on the snack bag such that theadhesive layers adhere to the snack bag and then, the zipper 120 islocked to create a seal for opening of a snack bag.

The device 100 comes in different sizes to fit sizes of different snackbags and may be made from one or more of plant-based plastics,bioplastics, recycled paper, food-grade rubber, food-grade silicon, orcorn-based products. The device 100 also comes in different colors anddesigns and can be both reusable and disposable to meet requirements ofdifferent users.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing how the sealing device ispositioned on a snack bag for protecting food items from becoming stalein accordance with the disclosed architecture. The device 100 isdesigned to be used with any snack bag that does not have integratedzipper lock or any fastener to seal the bag to protect remaining fooditems therein. Further, the device 100 can also be used with snack bagswhose integrated zipper lock may have been damaged. For positioning thedevice 100 on a snack bag 302, the seal device 100 is positioned alongthe opening 304 of the bag 302 such that the common side edge 106extends along an edge 306 of the bag 302 and the bottom layer 104 ispositioned below the snack bag 302 enabling the adhesive layer 208 ofthe bottom layer 104 to adhere to the bottom surface 308 of the bag 302.

The top layer 102 is stretched to overlap the opening 304 and a portionof the bag 302 such that a horizontal portion of the adhesive layer 204adheres to the top surface 310 of the bag 302 and the vertical portionof the layers 204, 208 fasten to each other to completely overlap aportion of the bag 302 as illustrated in FIG. 4 . The protecting layer210 of the adhesive 208 and protecting layer 314 of the adhesive 204 areremoved before applying the device 100. Once the adhesive layers areapplied, the zipper tab 122 is slid along the edges 116, 118 tocompletely seal the opening 302 and enabling the device 100 to functionas a zippered lock, thereby prohibiting air from entering the opening302 and food items 312 from becoming stale.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the snack bag equipped with theattachable zippered lock of the present invention in accordance with thedisclosed architecture. As illustrated, the seal device 100 ispositioned to cover the opening 304 and overlap a portion of the bag 302near the opening 304. The adhesive backing of the device 100 seals thelayers 102, 104 to the bag 302 and the zipper 120 when opened by slidingthe zipper tab 122 enables a user to access the food items 312. Thezipper lock 120 functions as an integrated zipper lock for the bag 302and when the food items 312 are finished, then, device 100 can bereleased by removing the adhesive layer and may be used (i.e., reused)with any other food bag or other type of bag.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram depicting a process of applying andusing the zippered-lock device 100 of the present invention inaccordance with the disclosed architecture. Initially, the adhesiveprotecting layer of the inner surface of the bottom layer is peeled awayby a user to reveal the adhesive layer (Step 502). Then, the lower layeris positioned on the bottom surface of a bag and the adhesive layer ispressed to adhere to the bag (Step 504). The adhesive is compliant toany material from which a snack bag or any other type of bag is made.

Thereafter, in the next step, the adhesive protecting layer of the innersurface of the top layer is peeled away to reveal the adhesive layer(Step 506). It should be noted that during applying the device on thebag, the zipper lock is opened. Then, the top layer is extended acrossthe opening of the bag and the adhesive layer is attached to the bag andto the corresponding portion of the adhesive layer on the bottom layerto create a sealed enclosure (Step 508). Finally, the zippered lock ofthe device is closed by sliding the zippered tab of the device toprotect the food items of the bag (Step 510).

The sealing device 100, in one exemplary embodiment, includes a lengthof generally 5% more than the width of the bag and has a width fromabout 2″ to about 4″ to completely cover the opening of the bag. Thedevice 100 may come in individual packaging or packaging of up to 5 or10 devices. The device 100 can be marketed as an aftermarket accessoryby chip and food item manufacturers.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claimsto refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the artwill appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature orcomponent by different names. This document does not intend todistinguish between components or features that differ in name but notstructure or function. As used herein “snack bag attachable sealingdevice”, “snack bag sealing device”, “seal device”, “device”, and“attachable zippered lock” are interchangeable and refer to the snackbag attachable sealing device 100 of the present invention.

Notwithstanding the forgoing, the snack bag attachable sealing device100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size andconfiguration as is known in the art without affecting the overallconcept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-statedobjectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that thesnack bag attachable sealing device 100 as shown in the FIGS. are forillustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of thesnack bag attachable sealing device 100 are well within the scope of thepresent disclosure. Although the dimensions of the snack bag attachablesealing device 100 are important design parameters for user convenience,the snack bag attachable sealing device 100 may be of any size thatensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user'sneeds and/or preferences.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplaryembodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. While the embodiments described above refer to particularfeatures, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments havingdifferent combinations of features and embodiments that do not includeall of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the presentinvention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications,and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with allequivalents thereof.

What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subjectmatter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimedsubject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. An attachable sealing device for a bag, theattachable sealing device comprising: a top layer and a bottom layerconnected together along a common first side edge; wherein said toplayer having a first area and said bottom layer having a second area,and said first area generally equal to said second area; wherein saidattachable sealing device is generally rectilinear and overlaps anopening of the bag; wherein said top layer and said bottom layer havinggenerally equal thickness; wherein said top layer having a bottom edgereleasably attachable to a top surface of the bag; wherein said bottomlayer having a bottom edge releasably attachable to a bottom surface ofthe bag; and further wherein a top edge of said top layer and a top edgeof said bottom layer having a zipper fastener for providing a sealingmechanism to seal the bag.
 2. The attachable sealing device of claim 1,wherein said zipper fastener having a zipper tab for selectively closingand opening said sealing mechanism.
 3. The attachable sealing device ofclaim 2, wherein said attachable sealing device is reusable.
 4. Theattachable sealing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of saidbottom edges having a removable adhesive protecting layer.
 5. Theattachable sealing device of claim 4, wherein said top layer having asecond side edge and said bottom layer having a second side edge, andfurther wherein said top layer second side edge releasably attachable tosaid bottom layer second side edge.
 6. The attachable sealing device ofclaim 5, wherein said zipper fastener extending along a length of saidtop edge of said top layer and said top edge of said bottom layer. 7.The attachable sealing device of claim 5, wherein at least one of saidtop layer and said bottom layer having indicia printed thereon.
 8. Theattachable sealing device of claim 5, wherein said top layer having aninner surface including a continuous adhesive layer along said bottomedge.
 9. The attachable sealing device of claim 8, wherein said bottomlayer having an inner surface including a continuous adhesive layeralong said bottom edge.
 10. The attachable sealing device of claim 9,wherein said second side edge of said top layer having a continuousadhesive layer therealong.
 11. The attachable sealing device of claim10, wherein said second side edge of said bottom layer having acontinuous adhesive layer therealong.
 12. The attachable sealing deviceof claim 1, wherein said attachable sealing device having a width fromabout 2″ to about 4″.
 13. An attachable sealing device for a bag, theattachable sealing device comprising: a top layer and a bottom layerconnected together along a common first side edge; wherein said toplayer having a first area and said bottom layer having a second area,and said first area generally equal to said second area; wherein saidattachable sealing device is generally rectilinear and overlaps anopening of the bag; wherein said top layer and said bottom layer havinggenerally equal thickness; wherein said top layer having a bottom edgereleasably attachable to a top surface of the bag; wherein said bottomlayer having a bottom edge releasably attachable to a bottom surface ofthe bag; wherein a top edge of said top layer and a top edge of saidbottom layer having a zipper fastener for providing a sealing mechanismto seal the bag; wherein said zipper fastener having a zipper tab forselectively closing and opening said sealing mechanism; wherein said toplayer having a second side edge and said bottom layer having a secondside edge; wherein said top layer second side edge releasably attachableto said bottom layer second side edge; wherein said top layer having aninner surface including a continuous adhesive layer along said bottomedge; and further wherein said bottom layer having an inner surfaceincluding a continuous adhesive layer along said bottom edge.
 14. Theattachable sealing device of claim 13, wherein said zipper fastenerextending along a length of said top edge of said top layer and said topedge of said bottom layer.
 15. The attachable sealing device of claim14, wherein said second side edge of said top layer having a continuousadhesive layer therealong.
 16. The attachable sealing device of claim15, wherein said second side edge of said bottom layer having acontinuous adhesive layer therealong.
 17. The attachable sealing deviceof claim 16, wherein said attachable sealing device having a width fromabout 2″ to about 4″.
 18. An attachable sealing device for a bag, theattachable sealing device comprising: a top layer; and a bottom layer,wherein said attachable sealing device is generally rectilinear andoverlaps an opening of the bag; wherein said top layer having a bottomedge releasably attachable to a top surface of the bag; wherein saidbottom layer having a bottom edge releasably attachable to a bottomsurface of the bag; wherein a top edge of said top layer and a top edgeof said bottom layer having a zipper fastener for providing a sealingmechanism to seal the bag; wherein said zipper fastener having a zippertab for selectively closing and opening said sealing mechanism; whereinsaid top layer having a second side edge and said bottom layer having asecond side edge; wherein said top layer second side edge releasablyattachable to said bottom layer second side edge; wherein said top layerhaving an inner surface including a continuous adhesive layer along saidbottom edge; and further wherein said bottom layer having an innersurface including a continuous adhesive layer along said bottom edge.19. The attachable sealing device of claim 18, wherein said second sideedge of said top layer having a continuous adhesive layer therealong.20. The attachable sealing device of claim 19, wherein said second sideedge of said bottom layer having a continuous adhesive layer therealong.